Last month came confirmation that Japanese gamers will be getting their hands on the PS Vita on December 17th of this year. Today we have a rumor that indicates North America may get the unit a lot sooner than expected. Hope everyone gets a lot of money for over the holidays!

It was assumed that Vita would launch in early 2012, sometime in the spring. This would mimic the PSP launch which also launched in Japan in December with a March release in N.A. The rumor has January 12, 2012 as the North American launch date for the Vita. It's on a Thursday which may seem strange, but the PSP released on March 24, 2005, also on a Thursday.

[Update: Sony confirms the North American and European release dates for the Vita as February 22nd, 2012.]

Many in North America may not expect it to launch so soon after ringing in the New Year — though they'll gladly accept it with open arms... if it's true.

To reiterate, this is only a rumor with no official word from Sony. While a January release date is possible, it's very unlikely. The world will be coming out of the holiday season, and consumers will have already spent countless dollars on consoles which no doubt will have special holiday bundles.

Don't forget the games for those consoles either. This holiday season is saturated with Triple A titles such as Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception and Batman: Arkham City. Not to mention the battle for FPS supremacy once Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 launch. With Vita games estimated to cost close to full console title prices, many gamers just won't have the available funds in early January to splurge on a $250 handheld plus games.

It would be wise for Sony to have the release date of the Vita sometime in the Spring after consumers have recovered from holiday. This way gamers can capitalize on some quality launch titles like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Until this point Sony has been learning from Nintendo's mistakes with the 3DS, and have been doing everything right with getting their new handheld ready for launch. Releasing to so early in the year would definitely hurt their initial sales.

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Source: Geek Hangover

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